St. Louis on the Air

Multidisciplinary artist Maxi Glamour has shared their storytelling prowess through songwriting, drag and queer-friendly events by way of their Faeded series. Recently, they have completed “Faeded: The Opera” which premieres June 5 at the Contemporary Art Museum in partnership with the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. Glamour gives us a peek into their motivations to write their first opera, the evolutio...

When the diagnostic test PrecivityAD hit the market in 2020, it democratized early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. The blood test, developed by C2N Diagnostics, is more accessible than brain imaging and spinal fluid tests, which can be expensive and invasive. WashU Medicine professor and C2N Diagnostics co-founder Dr. David Holtzman talks about his team’s innovation and how their work has contri...

Sister Nancy Corcoran is an unusual nun. Now 81, she has spent the last two years quietly hosting meetings for Catholic parents of transgender children. The gatherings are intentionally “affirming” meetings. There is no talk of celibacy or prayer that children will stop being trans or gay. Instead, parents share meals and stories about the pressure on their families, and their faith, as they suppo...

For more than 26 years, Victor López Delara lived a life not unfamiliar to most Americans. The Florissant resident has two children, owns López Mechanics, a small mobile mechanic business, and is engaged. In February, that world began crashing down when he was pulled over by O’Fallon, Missouri, police during a traffic stop for not having a front license plate. López Delara was arrested and will be...

St. Louisan Stephanie Perkins turned her Rosati-Kain Academy trivia roots into a two-episode “Jeopardy!” run, winning nearly $20,000 earlier this month. The Nerinx Hall High School math teacher and quiz bowl club moderator talks about her time on the show and the impact it’s had on her students.

The St. Charles City Council voted Tuesday to block large-scale data center developments within city limits. The 7-1 vote makes permanent a one-year moratorium on proposals that was put in place in the fall — in part due to widespread community opposition to a $1 billion data center proposal. Scott Stratton-Henderson was among many residents celebrating the council’s decision. Last year, the Linde...

The Clean Slate Act now sits on Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk. The bill would automatically expunge the criminal records of thousands of Missourians convicted of certain non-violent crimes. It's part of a larger, nationwide campaign to pass similar laws. Thirteen states have already passed their own version of the measure, including Illinois. In this encore, we talk with Empower Missouri Executi...

The U.S. immigration system has long faced criticism as overcrowded and broken. In this episode, STLPR’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson speaks with the Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, about how a routine green card appointment in Mexico led to a yearlong separation from his husband and upended their family’s life.

When the Arcega family moved their restaurant, Kain Tayo, from Trenton, Illinois, to Midtown St. Louis, they brought more than Filipino cuisine. Through traditional home-style meals and music, Sally and Randy Arcega and their son, Jeross, share the culture and joy they grew up with. Their annual singing competition, Kain Tayo Idol, has become another way they connect with the St. Louis community.

After 24-year-old Jake Zeller took his own life in December 2013, his family faced a decision: “What do we tell people?” Ultimately, they decided to share the truth about what happened. By speaking openly, the Zellers sought to start a movement of radical honesty about mental health. Thirteen years later, their nonprofit Team Jakey is dedicated to ending the stigma around mental illness and suicid...

Tired of costly levee repairs at the Missouri and Mississippi confluence, the Missouri Department of Conservation is turning a portion of the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area back into its natural state. With this strategic flooding, conservationists hope to restore natural wetlands while significantly cutting down on maintenance costs. STLPR’s Katie Grawitch shares how the new levee will save ta...

Missouri lawmakers have spent years either repealing or trying to repeal voter-approved initiatives. But a potential November 2026 proposal known as Respect Missouri Voters could make it much harder for the legislature to do that. Respect Missouri Voters’ Benjamin Singer and two volunteer petition gatherers, Bridget Salberg and Matt Andrews, talk about the proposal on "The Politically Speaking Hou...

The last week of session didn’t feature many moments of dramatic rhetorical duels or heart-stopping parliamentary standoffs. Instead, for the most part, lawmakers in Missouri finished work on legislation overhauling public safety and healthcare. STLPR’s Sarah Kellogg and Lilley Halloran join "The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air" to break down what passed and what didn’t pass duri...

Ryan “Big Esco” Brown and Tenelle Winmore have always envisioned their music as a beacon for Black youth. Their latest project, “20,000 Hours Vol. 2: The Devil’s Defeat,” doubles down on this ethos, channeling the realities of their lives in St. Louis into musical storytelling. We talk with them and music producer Chris “Klevah!” Shaw about the work behind the music and why they hope their message...

This month’s new music round up takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions, genres and vibes. St. Louis Post Dispatch music, arts and entertainment reporter Jasmine Osby joined music show originator Miya Norfleet to discuss what songs from St. Louis artists they are loving. Check out our new music roundup playlist .

St. Louis is not ready for the next natural disaster. The problems are complicated, but the solutions are possible. STLPR education reporter Hiba Ahmad and editor Jessica Rogen walk us through how city government can improve, from better funding its emergency management agency to making mutual-aid agreements with neighboring cities. We also hear a montage of voices from people in north St. Louis i...

The Nolan family faced many hurdles since an EF3 tornado tore through their neighborhood on May 16, 2025. The storm ripped the roof off their family duplex, displacing their family as well as their tenants next door. Today, they are looking forward to moving into their new home and welcoming their tenants back to the neighborhood. Gloria and Kevin Nolan share an update on how reconstruction has pr...

Veteran astronaut Tom Akers was born in St. Louis, grew up in Eminence, Missouri, and attended the University of Science and Technology in Rolla. Then, he went to space — an experience he calls “an honor of a lifetime.” This weekend, Akers will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. He joins STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl ahead of the ceremony to talk about his upbringing, his love of teaching, a...

On a rainy day in 1947, a scrappy alley cat walked into the Hamilton Hotel in St. Louis. Two days later, he made national news for beating his pedigreed peers to win prizes at the Greater St. Louis Cat Club Show. The cat’s story is the subject of a new classical composition that will be performed this weekend by the Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis alongside a concurrent reading of the children...

It’s been nearly a year since an EF-3 tornado tore through the St. Louis region, with north St. Louis bearing the brunt of the destruction. In this episode, we begin the STLPR series: “Torn, the struggle to recover from the tornado, the flailing government response and the fight for north St. Louis.” We hear from St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, who defends the city's work on the recovery while ackno...

Touted as an effective way to keep people out of the prison system, mental health courts have expanded across the country over the past two decades. But in southern Illinois, around two million residents don’t have access to them. The Illinois Answers Project and MindSite News spent months reaching out to every court in the state for data and updates on their mental health courts. The investigatio...

Lafayette High School Graduate Nathaniel Mahone has always found joy in bringing laughter to others. Now, after several summers as a Muny Kid and Teen and graduating college, Mahone is touring the country with the musical comedy “Monty Python’s Spamalot”. Mahone shared his journey from small plays to big stages, and what it means to be coming home to St. Louis on his first national tour.

Since 2022, Transform 314's founder Kelly McGowan has worked to inform Black St. Louisans about the inner workings of local government. As communities continue to rebuild since last year's May 16 tornado, she has focused on helping citizens understand the policies and identify the accountable officials. On May 13, McGowan will be premiering her first film, “Transforming Our Legacy: A St. Louis Sto...

“Gifted: The Docuseries” poses the ultimate question: If you could save the lives of eight strangers, would you? The project looks at the humanity behind organ donation, featuring stories from St. Louis and beyond. Its creator, critical care registered nurse and St. Louis native, Robert Horsey, discusses the story behind the series alongside Kim Cupp, who honors her daughter Maissa Abdallah’s life...

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, along with 31 other men, set out on the Corps of Discovery expedition from a site just north of St. Louis, at the mouth of the Missouri River. A new book by historian Craig Fehrman, “This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark,” draws on newly surfaced documents and oral histories to offer a more layered portrait of the expedition and the peopl...